“Breaking Point” (ブレーキング・ポイント), Original Release Japanese Movie Poster 1976, B2 Size (51 x 73cm) Q158
This is an original Japanese B2 theatrical poster printed for the 1976 Japanese release of Breaking Point (ブレーキング・ポイント), a hard-edged Canadian-American crime thriller directed by Bob Clark and starring Bo Svenson, Robert Culp, and Belinda J. Montgomery.
Film background
Released in 1976, Breaking Point belongs to the tougher, more volatile strain of 1970s action-thriller cinema, combining family-in-peril suspense with crime, revenge, and psychological pressure. The story centres on an ordinary man forced into a desperate fight for survival after becoming entangled with violent criminals, while the authorities prove unable to protect him or those close to him.
Though more niche than major studio thrillers of the same period, the film has since developed strong appeal among collectors of 1970s exploitation and revenge cinema, as well as followers of Bob Clark’s wide-ranging directorial career. Before becoming widely known for later commercial successes, Clark directed a number of darker and more confrontational genre films, and Breaking Point sits firmly within that tougher early phase.
Poster design
This Japanese poster has a particularly striking and unusual design, using a shattered-glass collage structure to communicate panic, trauma, and psychological breakdown. The layout is built around jagged, angular panels that fracture the imagery into shards, giving the whole composition a sense of violence and instability.
At the lower right, Bo Svenson appears armed and tense, positioned as the embattled central figure forced to defend his family. Around him, the broken-image montage presents scenes of terror and collapse: a screaming victim, a threatening hand, a frightened woman, and other high-contrast black-and-white inserts that intensify the mood. At the upper right, a house explodes in flames, with a body thrown through the air — one of the poster’s most dramatic action motifs.
The title ブレーキング・ポイント is printed in a bold, oversized neon-red style across the bottom, anchoring the design with aggressive visual force. At the top, the Japanese catchphrase reads:
「極限までに追いつめられた一人の男が今を生きるため炎の牙をむいた！」
“A man pushed to the absolute limit bares his fiery fangs in order to survive!”
Below that, additional red copy builds the suspense:
「殺人・目撃者・そして無力の警察！ 犯罪が犯罪をうむ悪の組織。恐怖のうずに巻き込まれた恋人と家族の生命は誰が守るのか？」
“A murder. A witness. And a powerless police force. A criminal organisation breeding further crime. Who will protect the lives of the lover and family swept into this vortex of terror?”
The tiny credits at the bottom also confirm the involvement of Bob Clark and Robert Culp, while the lower-right emblem identifies the Japanese distributor as Fox-Eiga / 20th Century Fox Japan.
Rarity and significance
Original Japanese posters for lesser-seen 1970s crime and revenge thrillers are often much scarcer than paper for major mainstream titles, particularly when the design is this distinctive. The combination of bold typography, shattered-panel graphics, and lurid action imagery makes this a very appealing display piece for collectors of Canuxploitation, American 1970s genre cinema, and Japanese poster design.
For collectors of Bob Clark, Bo Svenson, and rare Japanese posters for hard-edged 1970s thrillers, this is an especially strong example.
Condition
Very Good / Excellent. Please review the photos—they show the exact poster for sale.
It is over 50 years old!
It is not a reproduction or a reprint.
Certificate of Authenticity included.
